Wednesday December 29 grooming report

I'm still working on how to insert full grooming report into blog, so bear with me, while I continue tweaking.  It is attached in PDF form for e-mail recipients.  Kenton and I had a very peaceful morning out grooming the trails -- only 3 cars in the parking lot when we finished at 11 a.m!  Kenton, thanks for your good work today!  When I left at 12:30, there was about 9 inches of new snow, and we may still get a few more tonight.  A majority of trails were groomed this morning including Sunset/Winslow, Lion's Loop, Scales Lake, Loop 3, Dog Loop, and Kannah Crossing.  Jon will be grooming tomorrow starting at 7 a.m., and will be grooming the entire track system.  He will be back at it Friday afternoon/evening starting at 2 pm to get the race course ready.  The track is a bit soft in the middle for skating, because snow is very dry, but classic tracks are perfect.  Enjoy the end of 2009 with some of the best skiing of the year!

 

Leslie

Start your decade right

No better way to start a new decade than a friendly 10K ski race on Grand Mesa. Join us Saturday January 2 for the Skyway Skuffle Freestyle 10K at Skyway. Registration begins by 10 AM for the 11 AM race. This is a freestyle race but there will be a classic track set as well for those who love to stride and glide. We're even giving you a day to nurse your New Years Eve hangover before making you exercise. Remember, the GMNC puts on high-quality races for serious competitors that at the same time are comfortable for skiers of all abilities who just want to come out and ski a fun course with a friendly gang. Check the website for more information or give me a call. See you up top!

Tom

Tom Ela
Race Director

970-434-9753
nachtambule@aol.com

grooming report for Wednesday, December 30

Has been snowing on Grand Mesa, Al reported about 5 inches of new snow as of late this afternoon.  He groomed Ward top to bottom this afternoon, but will be back on Thursday afternoon again after snow has finished up.  Kenton will be grooming tomorrow morning starting at 7 a.m. -- he will be doing just some of the trails, as it is expected to snow tomorrow and through the night Wednesday.  I'll post an update tomorrow night. 

 

Leslie

Grooming report for Tuesday, December 29

All the trails on County Line/Skyway were groomed Monday afternoon by Kenton -- thanks for all your hard work!  Temps are going to be warmer tomorrow, and there is some snow moving in that will give us a 2-3 inches Tuesday night, with some light snow on Wednesday into Wednesday night.  Because of the snow, our next grooming will be on Wednesday morning starting at 7 a.m.  Per requests, I've included report below, rather than as an attachment -- it's not as pretty, but hopefully still effective.  Here's your grooming report:

 

Grand Mesa Nordic Council
Grooming Report - December 29, 2009
Tomorrow's Weather Forecast - Slight chance of snow, High of 28 degrees, low of 8
Projected Kick Wax - Blue
Projected Glide Wax - Blue
Date			Comments
Skyway	Groomed		Distance		No Dogs Allowed
Sunset		28-Dec		2.8 k
Winslow		28-Dec		1.2 k
Lion's Loop		28-Dec		3.4 k
Arroyo		28-Dec		.7 k
Will's Hill		28-Dec		.5 k
Vista Loop		28-Dec		5.4 k
Scales Lake Road		28-Dec		3.2 k
County Line			Dogs Allowed
Loop One		28-Dec		2.5 k
Loop Two		28-Dec		1.5 k
Loop Three		28-Dec		6.1 k
Scenic Overlook Loop		28-Dec		.5 k
Dog Trail		28-Dec		1.9 k
Dog Loop		28-Dec		1.6 k
Kannah Crossing		28-Dec		1.8 k
Ward Lake			Dogs Allowed
Ward Lake		27-Dec		6.4 k
East Ward, Skinned	ungroomed		10.5 k		These trails are ungroomed, point
Horse, Deep Slough,			to point trails designated by
Wild Trail, High Trail,			markers that make for excellent
Staircase, Sheep, &			backcountry skiing & snowshoeing.
Finney
Note: Dogs are allowed on all County Line trails up to Snowmobile Crossing on Scales Lake
Road and Kannah Crossing.

Grooming Report for Monday, December 28

Was great skiing on Sunday with slightly warmer temperatures and sunny skies.  Sunday afternoon, Al groomed Ward top to bottom and set new track.  We had a chance to do some skiing over there and it was great -- thanks Al, for a job well done!  Kenton did some touch-up grooming of the more heavily used trails basically re-grading the skate lane only on Sunset/Winslow, Lion's Loop, Scales Lake, Loop 3, Loop 2, Dog Loop, and Dog Trail.  He will be out Monday afternoon starting at 1 pm with the snowcat and will be regrooming all the trails on Skyway/County Line trail system.  Al will be re-grooming Ward on Tuesday afternoon at 2 pm.  Tomorrow's weather will be some sun in the morning, becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon with a high of 23 degrees.  Low tonight of -2.  Green kick wax was working well today, but it's possible with warmer temps, one might need a little Special Blue.  Happy skiing!

 

Leslie

December 27 Grooming Report

Hey All,

The entire track system at Skyway/County Line was groomed by snowcat this morning and afternoon, so should be great skiing tomorrow.  It was pretty brisk today -- high around 12 degrees, but no wind.  Tomorrow is looking a little warmer.  Trails are in excellent shape and make for great classic skiing right now -- so get out those waxable skis!  The skating lane is somewhat soft because of the new snow and drifting snow, especially on Kannah Crossing and Loop 3, because was our first time getting around those on the snowcat.  We will be grooming every day this week through next weekend, weather permitting.  Tomorrow, there will be grooming starting at 2 pm.  Kudos to Jon for allowing me to acompany him today -- great job!

 

Leslie

Seeking new board members

The GMNC is seeking a new board member or two.

As we focus our efforts on fundraising (to bolster our operations and begin building a warming hut fund), we're looking for volunteers who are interested in fundraising, operations, capital campaigns, trail issues, or construction projects to join our board. Of course, if you have some other skill or idea you'd like to offer GMNC, we're open to that too.

The GMNC board meets the first Tuesday of the month, October through April and meetings alternate between Grand Junction and Delta. 

Do you have time and talent to lend to the GMNC? Send a brief letter of interest to: grandmesanordic@gmail.com

Want to check us out before you commit? Join us for our next board meeting, Tuesday, January 5th at 6:30 p.m. at Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado's meeting rooms. (Ground floor next to Spoons Restaurant, 3090 North 12th in GJ.)

For more info on the meeting, email grandmesanordic@gmail.com or call Dave Knutson, 970- 261-1496.

--Christie

Christmas Eve

We had a very nice Christmas Eve ski today. Here are a couple pictures, including John Canty who was just finishing grooming.

Lee Gelatt

Merry Christmas Grooming Report

Greetings!

Well after receiving another 14-15 inches, it should be fine skiing for Christmas Day.  Jon and Kenton worked hard to get the trails in shape  - we still couldn't get the snowcat around Loop 3 to the Lookout nor down Kannah Crossing, but they were packed and rolled.  Everything else is groomed up nicely with new classic track set.  Temps are going to be very cold tonight (-9) with highs tomorrow only in single digits -- and there is a chance of snow accumulating 1-2 inches.  Merry Christmas!

 

Leslie

Fun with maps and gadgets

For the last week or two, I've been playing around with a Garmin 310XT heart rate monitor/GPS system. Those of you who know me know that I'm no techno-gadget geek, so I'm slightly embarrassed to admit how much fun I've been having with this toy.

For example, ever wonder how steep that hill on Sunset is? Me either, but now I know....I wore this thing during the Winterstart races and made some pretty cool maps of the courses.

Winterstart Classic Race
http://connect.garmin.com/player/20498883

Winterstart Skate Race
http://connect.garmin.com/player/20498888

And last Sunday I hit nearly 20mph on a few of the downhills. I think I'm going to have to go back and try for 25.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/20800961

The device has a nifty heart rate monitor too, which I haven't used too regularly. Sometimes, I don't care to quantify how hard I'm working....

--Christie

Dec 24 grooming report

Due to problems with the snowcat and deteriorating weather, we were not able to groom much today.  Al was able to pack out Ward, although at the end of the day the wind was really picking and it was snowing, causing a lot of drifting.  Both Kenton and Jon will be up first thing tomorrow morning to work on County Line and Skyway and with luck we hope to get the entire track system packed and set track.  I'll post a complete grooming report tomorrow evening, but suffice it to say that it will be very cold over the next couple of days, so bundle up and use cold wax!

 

Leslie

Updated link to Skyway weather station

CAIC just informed me that the "Grand Mesa - Skyway Point" data are now available on their public website, at:

http://avalanche.state.co.us/obs_stns/stns.php

The Grand Mesa - Skyway Point site is found under the list of Grand Mesa sites down in the middle of that page.   (There are dozens of other weather data sites available on this page too - the best compilation I know of).  This page is intended to be navigable from the CAIC's home page from the Observations drop down in the upper left corner, by clicking the  "Weather Stations by Zone" button.  That navigation is apparently working with Firefox of Chrome browsers, but it's not working with Explorer (I just tried).  Fortunately, the direct link shown above does work in Explorer.

Near the top of that Weather Stations by Zone page there's a box for specifying the units for the data - imperial or metric.  The data column headers have explanatory popups when you mouse over them.

Once people find the "Grand Mesa - Skyway Point" row in the database they can see the data in this tabular presentation, or they can click the site name and then graphs of the data over the past ~48 hours will show up.  The graphs are very neat.

Cheers,
Chris

--

Chris Landry – Exec. Dir.

Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies

PO Box 190

Silverton, CO 81433 USA

www.snowstudies.org

grooming report

We are planning to groom some tomorrow afternoon -- mainly packing things down, and with more snow expected Wednesday night, we will groom out the entire track system on Thursday morning.  Snow totals as of 3 pm up top ranged from 8-10 inches, think snow!

 

Leslie

Chance of Snow, Then Snow

I will never forget the moment I realized the taste sensation created by pairing chocolate and red wine. Two loves of mine, better together. 

Which is sort of how I felt when I discovered this marvelous poem by the writer Katie Alvord, "Chance of Snow, Then Snow." (read it here: http://bit.ly/8KU48Y)

Snow, weather, poetry, ah....nirvana!

Katie's piece is a found poem composed entirely of forecast phrases from NOAA Weather Radio and inspired, during a blizzard, by the rhythmic reporting of snow variations on her local weather radio station. (She lives and Nordic skis in Michigan.) 

Thinking her local NOAA forecasters might enjoy the poem, Katie e-mailed it to the National Weather Service office in Marquette. Imagine her surprise when they wrote back with an audio recording of her poem, read by that NOAA radio voice we all know and love!

Listen here: http://bit.ly/RadioSnow

--Christie

December 21 grooming report

Hi All,

No grooming today, or tomorrow -- the next update will be on Wednesday night after the snow.  Tomorrow's forecast is for a high of 26 degrees with snow -- expected snow through Wednesday night is 5-10 inches.  Conditions today were firm and fast, and extra blue kick wax for classic was the ticket!  Think snow!

 

Leslie

Logo entries

e
As a reminder, here's a recap on the other othentries into the logo contest.

Logo Contest Winner

Well, the competition was tight, but we have a winner in the GMNC logo contest: #6, by Kari Sewell. We hope to have the new window decals mailed to members by mid-January. Stay tuned!

--Christie

grooming report

Hi All,

We were able to groom Ward top to bottom today resetting track and so conditions are looking pretty good over there.  We weren't able to groom Skyway/County Line -- may be able to hit it tomorrow morning, and I will keep you posted.  We are expecting some snow (5-10 inches) on Tuesday into Wednesday morning, so we'll groom again on Wedneday afternoon/evening.  I'm still working on a way to embed text of report into blog -- keep your fingers crossed!

 

Leslie

The Delta County Challenge

Hi everyone - you would never know that Delta County has a significantly lower average income than Mesa County. So far this year, donations over $250 from Delta County have outpaced Mesa County by 3:1. We encourage those in the Grand Valley to help change this ratio! 

Your GMNC Board uses each year's donations for the next year of grooming. This year we are operating on donations from last season, so we can build a budget and know what we have to work with.

So far this season our memberships are staying steady but donations are $3,000 behind last year's pace. We invite you to be generous in your support of our grooming and operations. Have a wonderful holiday season and see you up on the Mesa.

P.S. all are invited to our next Board meeting where we discuss budget, funding, and events.  If you are interested please join us on Tuesday, January 5th at 6:00 p.m. at Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado's meeting rooms. (Ground floor next to Spoons Restaurant, 3090 North 12th in GJ)

Dave Knutson

Fundraising Volunteer

Grand Mesa Nordic Council

970.527-3969 260-3260c

New Weather Station at Skyway

We have a new feature on the Sunset trail at Skyway this winter – a 30 foot tall tower equipped with weather, snowpack and radiation sensors that are continuously collecting wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, snowpack depth, and a variety of incoming and reflected solar radiation data, all solar powered.

Referred to as the Grand Mesa Study Plot, this installation is a collaborative project of the Colorado Dust-on-Snow (CODOS) program based at the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies in Silverton, the University of Utah’s Snow Optics Laboratory, and the US Geologic Survey’s Southwest Biological Science Center in Moab, who funded the installation. The GMSP adds an important new site monitoring changes in snowpack reflectance (albedo) and solar energy absorption caused by desert dust deposition to the CODOS program’s identical set of measurements made in the San Juan Mountains. This automated monitoring, combined with occasional snowpack profiles at the site, will enhance CODOS’s ability to advise western Colorado water managers about potential dust-in-snow effects on snowmelt timing and rates.

The public can check near-real-time GMSP weather conditions (wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, and snowpack depth) at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s listings of Weather Observations, at http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub/links_wxobs.php - scroll down to the list of Grand Mesa weather sites and click on the GMSP (Grand Mesa Study Plot) link.

Chris Landry – Exec. Dir.
Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies
PO Box 190
Silverton, CO 81433 USA
www.snowstudies.org

Dec 19 grooming report

Hi All,

Conditions look good for tomorrow -- attached is PDF of our new "grooming report."  The grooming report will let you know dates when trails were last groomed and of any special conditions out there.  Jon got around to most of the trails this afternoon/evening, and with the cold temps tonight, things should be pretty firm and fast for tomorrow.  They softened up quite a bit this afternoon on both Sunset/Winslow as well as Loop 3 out to the Lookout.  Please let me know what you think of the grooming report -- we are trying to provide as accurate reports for you as possible. 

 

Leslie

Introducing our new Operations Manager!

 

I am pleased to announce that we have hired Leslie Brodhead as the  GMNC's first formal Operations Manager.

Some of you may have met her at the Winterstart. (She also did some racing and volunteering last year.)

Leslie moved to Palisade about a year ago. She comes to us with extensive management experience. She previously worked at two Nordic ski resorts in California--Northstar and Royal Gorge--and she has ample experience overseeing nordic ski area operations. She has also worked as a park ranger with the National Park Service where she coordinated volunteers and was in charge of employee scheduling.

She has excellent people skills and management experience. As the hiring committee worked on the Operations Manager job description, it became clear to us that this is not a grooming job, but a communications, administration and management position, so those were skills we sought in our search.Leslie's husband works at the National Weather Service, so she also has an inside line on weather info.

Leslie wants your feedback. Do you have a suggestion? A comment on trail conditions? Question about grooming or trail conditions?

Contact her at: gmnordic@gmail.com

cheers,
Christie
_

Christie Aschwanden

President, Grand Mesa Nordic Council

grandmesanordic@gmail.com

Grand Mesa Nordic Grooming Report

Hi All,

For the grooming report, we are going to try something new going forward.  I have put together a separate PDF Grooming Report document with dates of when each trail was last groomed.  This should hopefully help members better plan their skiing...  For the coming week, we are planning on doing some grooming tomorrow after/evening, Sunday afternoon/evening, then hitting the whole track system on Wednesday afternoon, since we are expecting some snow Tuesday, Thursday afternoon, and then regrooming the whole system early Saturday morning.  I will update the grooming report as needed.  If you have questionsor comments/suggestions, please feel free to reply to this e-mail address, gmnordic@gmail.com. 

 

FYI, conditions are still excellent on top -- snow is holding up well -- classic is very good and conditions are firm and fast for skating.  Al re-did Ward today and it is also firming up nicely. 

 

Leslie

Grooming report 12/17

Fabulous skiing today with 25 degrees at the Skyway parking lot(which got plowed today!) and Kenton grooming with the new Tid-tek implement(only stuck it once). Everything is groomed with the exception of Will's hill, and conditions are excellent. Next grooming will be for the weekend, Fri. afternoon or early Sat. WRobertson

Grooming report 12/15

The crew worked in tandem to get Skyway/County Line in good shape for the week. The total amounts from the storm varied due to the wind, but there was about 10" of new snow, with the stake reading 36". We are still unable to get the snowcat around everything, so there are some trails at both systems that are very soft and not good for skate skiing. Hopefully with the next storm we can use the 'cat on all the trails. WRobertson

Ward Lake groomed

Al groomed and set track at Ward Lake top to bottom this afternoon, looks like it should be good skiing for tomorrow and into the weekend.  I don't have an update on County Line and Skyway, but hope to by tomorrow.   Leslie

Group Ski Lessons Start This Saturday

Group lessons begin this Saturday (see below).

The lesson schedule is online:

http://bit.ly/SkiLessons

Call Al at 872-3868 to reserve your space.


Schedule:
Dec 19: 9am beginning classic, 10am beginning skate

Dec 26: 9am intermediate classic 10am intermediate skate

Jan 2: 9am beginning classic, 10am beginning skate

Jan 9: 9am intermediate classic 10am intermediate skate

Jan 16: 9am beginning classic, 10am beginning skate

Jan 23: 9am intermediate classic 10am intermediate skate

Jan 30: 9am beginning classic, 10am beginning skate

Feb 6: 9am intermediate classic 10am intermediate skate

Feb 13: 9am beginning classic, 10am beginning skate

Feb 20: 9am intermediate classic 10am intermediate skate

Feb 27: 9am classic, 10am skate 

Please vote in the GMNC logo contest!

The GMNC logo contest is now officially closed, and we had seven excellent entries. Take a look and vote for your favorite here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZSH2LJ7

Voting closes Dec 19 and we'll announce the winner by Dec 21. 

Only one vote per membership please. (the site will only allow one vote per computer, if you vote twice only one will count)

Questions? Contact me here: grandmesanordic@gmail.com

--Christie

[GMNC] Winterstart Race Results Posted

Sunday's race results are posted.

 

http://home.mesastate.edu/~jerry/gmnc/races/Races09-10/WinterStart2009.htm

 

Tom and Jerry

Grooming 12/14-20

We will wait until Tues. to start grooming the trails. Sun. was one of those "what the hell are we doing here" days on the Grand Mesa, but this week looks to be much better. We will try and get around Skyway/County Line with the snowcat, but reserve the right to use the snowmobiles on those trails where the rocks are showing. We will get Ward rolled on Tues., then work on grading and setting track later in the week. If the week looks to be dry, we will groom again on Fri., then Sat. P.M. or Sun morning. WRobertson

WinterStart Races Happened

This was actually the Winter RE-Start Race. On the original scheduled date of Dec. 6 the wind was howling, the snow was falling horizontal and the course was heavily drifted. Since the only open trails were largely in the open and exposed, racing was basically impossible so the race was postponed until the following week in hopes of better weather. Well, today the wind was howling, the snow was falling horizontal and the course was drifting. One big difference, though: enough snow had fallen through the week that we were able to open the sheltered trails in the trees and with some feverish grooming by Jon Canty right up to race time, the race was a go. The snow turned out to be fast and impressive times were turned in on a slightly shortened course. Dave Aschwanden and Christie Aschwanden came in one and two overall to capture the male and female wins in the Classic race.

The weather continued to deteriorate. We considered calling the skate race but then decided to announce the race and if anyone showed up at the start line, we would send them around and time them. Twentyfive such crazies lined up so the race was on. Jon Canty took the grader around the course one more time and they were off! Again it was Aschwandens one and two in very fast times. No Search and Rescue was needed and we raised some money for the grooming fund which will come in handy with all of the new snow. Thanks to all you brave souls that took part. It was fun, wasn't it?

Ela Family Farms and Loki Outdoor Gear generously provided prizes. The Loki products were just the ticket for these conditions. Once again this season Clif Bar is providing a generous spread of Clif Bars, Luna Bars and Clif Blocks to keep everyone energized and properly fueled. Racers also got to try a new product out of Gunnison called Acli-Mate, an energy drink mix specifically formulated to enhance high altitude performance. Please thank and support these great sponsors. We're also indebted to our stalwart volunteers Tom Fanticone and Shirley Ela who made it all happen.

Tom Ela
434-9753
nachtambule@aol.com

Grooming 12/12-13

Al was able to use the roller at Ward today, so that should provide a good base for the next dump of snow. Kenton was able to grade more of the trails at Skyway in preparation for the race on Sun. As for tomorrow, we will stick to the sheltered trails and groom for  the race and the Lions loop. If the wx isn't out-of-control, Jon will take the snowcat out Scales to the Dog trail/Dog loop. WRobertson

Weekend Weather Update

GMNCers,

The question circulating amongst West Slope weather forecasters: "Is
there a correlation between GMNC races and big snow storms?"
Just like last weekend, another blowy snowy storm is bearing down on
Western Colorado. Also like last weekend, the storm will be strongest
over the San Juan mountains, but the Grand Mesa will get its fair share.

Strong SW winds are already gusting this Saturday morning, and will
only increase tonight and Sunday. Snowfall will also increase tonight.
The National Weather Service point forecast for the GMNC trails has an
overnight low temperature of 10F. With the clouds and winds, this may
be a bit cold.

Winterstart forecast:
Cloudy with snow and blowing/drifting snow. Areas of fog.
Air and snow temperature 15-19F
RH 85-95% (do you believe in fluoros?)
Winds from the SW
in the deep trees...4-8mph with gusts to 15mph
open areas...10-20mph with gusts to 35mph.

So whats a few breezes and drifts to a bunch of hardy GMNCers? Dress
like Anita Evans (in layers with a balaclava) and you will be fine.

Downhill skiers and water users all over Western Colorado are very
appreciative to the GMNC for bringing these big wet storms to the
region.

Enjoy!

Grooming update 12/11

The crew have been hard at it, getting around Skyway/County Line with the rollers and setting track on some of the trails. It's very soft in places, with plenty of rocks and stumps to dodge. We need another 12" of snow to take the snowcat around many of the trails. Ward was packed out using the snowmobiles, but too soft to use the roller. We will assess this weekend before we try it again. Kenton will focus on the race course on Sat.(Sunset/Winslow/Lions loop), before moving over to County Line. Nice temps today, upper teens; with 36" at the stake. WRobertson

Race Volunteers

We are looking for one more volunteer to help our Race Coordinator Tom with timing this upcoming Sunday at the Winterstart Races.  We will need help from between 10:30 to 2:00 or the end of the races, with a break between races.  If you are able to help us with timing the races please let me know (christinaarstark@gmail.com).  I would also like to send out a big thanks to our volunteers that showed up to help with the last races. 

 

Thanks,

Christina

Grooming today-Wed.

Slow going today, with 40" at the stake, and very cold temps. The crew were able to get around Sunset,Winslow, Lions, and Arroyo with the rollers; but unfortunately stuck one machine on the Vista, so that will be the priority tomorrow. Good news is the snowcat was delivered late P.M., so we will be able to work on Scales and possibly Dog trail with it. We will try and get around County Line system on Thurs., and if all goes well over to Ward on Fri. Again, be patient and with luck and a lot of hard work we should have excellent skiing for the weekend. WRobertson

Introducing the Mesa State Ski Team!

Thanks to Dave Buchanan for a nice article about the new Mesa State
Ski Team in today's Daily Sentinel.

And thanks to Chuck Bodie for taking the photo!

Read the article here: http://bit.ly/5nWdcI

Grooming 12/9

We will have all 3 groomers at Skyway and County Line today getting the trails opened up and at least rolled if not graded. The snowcat will be delivered this afternoon, so if there aren't too many trees down, we may get some tracks set on Scales and out the Dog trail. Tomorrow will be more of the same, and Friday we will move the show down to Ward to get those trails opened. -12 degrees this morning, so be patient and give the crew time to work on the trails. WRobertson

Winterstarted!

Well, Winterstart weekend came in with a little more bluster than we might have liked, but this week's storm systems have brought lots of new snow.

Considering the weather, we had a pretty nice turnout for the ski demo. Despite some pretty hefty gusts, none of the tents blew away.

With the Winterstart cancelled, and a bunch of enthusiastic skiers ready to brave the wind, we staged an impromptu 2km classic race, won by Mesa State team captain, Tre Anastasia.

Thanks to all who turned out. Hope to see you again this weekend!

--Christie

Grooming plan 12/7-13

In light of the blizzard warnings, no grooming for the next two days is planned. Beginning on Wed., we will open up additional trails as conditions allow. We will move the grooming crew around all 3 trail systems and with luck will have most of the trails skiable by the end of the week. Depending on the availability of transport, we should have the snowcat up by mid-week. WRobertson

Winterstart, Again

It's always a crapshoot scheduling a ski race in early December. We've had a long streak of wins (some just barely) but today we struck out. The WinterStart Races today were postponed due to limited open trails and blizzard conditions on them. We hated to make this call especially for the people who travelled for the event but, besides the guarantee of being a pure unfun slog through drifting snow, we considered the risk of lost or seriously frostbitten racers to be too great. Add to that the fact that I would have had to ask my stalwart volunteer timers to stand out there in that blast stationary for an hour trying to record results. Anyway, sincere apologies for the inconvenience! Please try again for the rescheduled WinterStart, same times, same format, and different weather next Sunday:

 

Sunday, December 13

Skyway

5K Classic at 11 AM

5K Freestyle at 12:30 PM

 

We should have a healthy helping of new snow by then which should allow us to open the trails that are sheltered in the trees. That gives us the option of racing under any conditions. We'll hope for a nice day anyway. Stay tuned to the blog for any updates and feel free to call or send a message if you have questions. Thanks!

Tom

Tom Ela 
970-434-9753 
nachtambule@aol.com

Grooming Report; 12/04

Kenton groomed Arroyo to Lions, and Scales out to the tower. Skiing was very good, temps  around 10-12 degrees, light wind. We have started prepping for the race and Demo Day on Sun., and will have the trails groomed on Sat. P.M., then again on Sun,A.M. if it snows that night. See you there; WRobertson

Logo Contest Update

Because the newsletter announcement went out a bit later than
expected, we've decided to extend the deadline for the GMNC logo
contest to give everyone time to submit. The new deadline is Saturday,
December 12. (must be received by that date)

We've already received some terrific entries and we'll begin the
online voting here on December 14.

--Christie

Let's Race!

The Breckenridge NRL races are cancelled, but the Grand Mesa
Winterstart races are on!

Join us this Sunday (http://bit.ly/6zwcfi) for a day of racing and
free demos from Boulder Nordic Sport.

--Christie

Grooming

Hi everyone
Thursday grooming was very cold and very sunny. Scales lake rd,dog trail,dog loop have a new classic track and skate lane. Only two inches new snow over night improved conditions slightly.
Jon. Canty

Sent from my iPhone

Grooming Thurs., 12/3

Jon will be up this morning to groom Scales, dog, and dog loop.  We had another truck intrusion at Skyway, so he will be grading out the ruts that were left. We will start preparing the trails for the weekend Demo Day and Winterstart Race tomorrow (Fri.). WRobertson

Grooming

No grooming today cold windy and SNOWING !
Jon Canty

Sent from my iPhone

Volunteer Needed

GMNC Members and Skiing Enthusiasts:

 

I am working as the Volunteer Coordinator for the GMNC Board of Directors and I will be reaching out to all of you to provide notifications about volunteer opportunities throughout the ski season.  We are currently looking for one volunteer to help with registration and to serve soup at the upcoming Winterstart races.  The volunteer will need to help from 10:00 until 10:30 this Sunday.  If you are interested and can commit to meeting this volunteer request then please contact me at christinaarstark@gmail.com.  There will be more to come shortly about other volunteer opportunities, stay tuned...

 

Kind Regards,

Christina

Old school

Winslow Robertson, skiing in style.